(The following story by Neil Strassman appeared on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram website on November 19.)
ARLINGTON, Texas — Three commuter rail stations could be built in Arlington in coming years as part of a regional rail system, City Council members were told at a committee meeting Tuesday.
The potential rail stations — one just north of City Hall, another near the entertainment district and a third near Texas 360 and Division Street — were endorsed by council members and Arlington Chamber of Commerce officials because of the prospective boost to development and the local economy.
Although the development of a regional commuter rail system is years away, the North Central Texas Council of Governments, through its Regional Transportation Council, is trying to get area cities to support development of the rail plan.
“It is of interest to us, and we want to be involved,” said Councilwoman Kathryn Wilemon, who is the mobility committee chairwoman.
“Go back and tell them we’re excited about it,” Councilman Wayne Ogle told Mike Hasler, the public works director who made the presentation on the rail stations.
The Union Pacific rail line, and its right of way that may accommodate additional track, is the leading candidate for commuter rail passing through Arlington and Grand Prairie.
A station north of City Hall could drive downtown redevelopment and provide easy access to the University of Texas at Arlington, the second-largest university in the UT System, whose student population is growing, Hasler said.
A rail station near the entertainment district could connect to an existing rail spur that runs within two blocks of The Ballpark in Arlington, providing access to the entire district, he said.
More than one council member remarked about the successful economic development surrounding the Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s Mockingbird Lane Station.
Also, a station at Division Street could be a stop on the high-speed rail portion of Gov. Rick Perry’s Trans Texas Corridor that would travel from Mexico to the Oklahoma border, should that line go along Texas 360 and pass through Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.
“This is not an idle proposal,” said Wes Jurey, president of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. A station at Division Street could stimulate growth at the Great Southwest Industrial District, he said.
Designers are working on plans for a rail system roughly 10 times the size of the Trinity Railway Express, which connects downtown Fort Worth to Dallas via Northeast Tarrant County and Irving. The TRE serves about 8,000 riders per day as the area’s only commuter rail line.
Additional commuter rail, using existing lines, could provide service connecting Fort Worth to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport and Collin County and link Arlington, Grand Prairie, Cleburne, Colleyville, Grapevine and North Richland Hills and Denton County.
Some of the trains could be running by 2008-11, while others probably wouldn’t be operating until much later.
Transportation officials estimate that a regional rail system could serve 58,000 riders per day. Developing commuter rail on existing lines generally runs from $10 million to $16 million per mile, according to estimates from the council of governments, but building a new rail line could cost twice that amount.
The council’s economy committee also discussed land uses along Texas 360 in southeast Arlington — residential versus light industrial or retail — and possible development standards for other Arlington freeways. Council members said the land-use issue needs more study.